Best Artists to See Live [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Here at SeatGeek we looked at overall popularity versus ticket revenue for a few well-known artists, who are currently on tour, to determine the best live artists. Popularity was measured by looking at the number of weeks the artist has made it onto the Hot 100 chart in the past 4 years, as well as their online fan base on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm. Ticket revenue was calculated by looking at the average amount of tickets sold per day on the secondary ticket market, in addition to their average ticket price during the past year. By doing this, we were able see if their popularity and concert sales lined up. This comparison revealed the best live artists on tour today.

Best Live Artists

Of course there will always – and should always – be debate about the best artist to see live today. But fortunately for us here at SeatGeek, we have a vast collection of data to help us provide a mathematical answer to this question. We know the answer can’t simply be derived from ticket demand figures, but we wanted to share them anyways and encourage debate in the comments below or with us on Twitter or Facebook.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Rihanna. Having occupied the billboard for 159 weeks in the past 4 years, as well as having one of the largest online followings of all artists, we found Rihanna’s concert sales to be shockingly low in comparison. Given her growing popularity, her low ticket sales suggest that she is not as impressive on the stage as she is in the recording studio.

Take a look at the graph to see how well your favorite artists do on tour, relative to their popularity. Once you’ve decided which bands and artists give the best live performances, head to SeatGeek to find the best deals on concert tickets!